Page 10 - Chris Rickleton News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

With 87 percent of the votes in a campaign devoid of genuine competition, the Uzbek president has cemented himself in power much like his predecessor.

There is little the region's governments can do about shrinking glaciers and low precipitation. But better planning would go a long way toward mitigating water crises that are exacerbated by fast-growing populations.

The cost of building Kazakhstan’s longest bridge has more than doubled since the contract was first awarded in 2020. An investigation by RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service showed that the company overseeing the project is owned by businessmen with ties to the local governor’s son. 

In one province of economically struggling Turkmenistan, authorities have hinted at the end to a system of rations for low-cost food. In Ashgabat, residents say they haven't had access to such goods in months.

Protests by unemployed residents of Mangystau have spotlighted systemic problems in a province that accounts for around a quarter of Kazakhstan’s oil production. RFE/RL spent several days in the village of Zhetybai to understand the demands of an increasingly restive population.